Right To Play Gala

Next Events:

Cook Islands Quest 100 (Quest #4)

Friday Sept. 21st 2012

Location: Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Pacific
Ocean

TriOil-Soccer Quest 42 (Quest #5)

Friday Oct. 5th to Sunday Oct. 7th 2012

Location: Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre,
Cochrane, Alberta

On Sunday July 22nd Sue and I drove down from Sudbury
to Toronto. We had spent a week staying at Fairbanks Lake Resort
with our daughter Kristina, her husband Paul and the grand kids
Autumn age 8 and Nathan age 3. The Resort is an hour from Sudbury
and consists of four rustic cottages and a lodge. The weather was
great and over the seven days we had loads of fun swimming,
building sand castles, going out on the paddle boat and doing art
projects.

The highlight of the week was the nightly fishing session.
Autumn is an accomplished fisher girl and she showed us all how to
cast. The bait of choose was hotdogs but the "catch" turned out to
be Crayfish. Each evening we'd fish 'til the sunset and the
mosquitoes came out.

Going to Toronto was certainly a change of pace. Sue and I had
been invited to attend the Right To Play fund raising Gala at the
Westin Harbour Castle. So along with my sand bucket and spade I had
had to pack a suit and tie. The guests of honour for the evening
were four well known sports personalities; Ernie Els, Mike Weir,
Silken Laumann and Steve Yzerman.

Entering the huge ballroom, the first thing we noticed was two
tables full of wine bottles. Both Ernie and Mike have their own
wineries. Sue had a glass of the 2010 Mike Weir Sauvignon Blanc and
I tried the 2010 Ernie Els Big Easy Red. If I ever become a big
shot I think I'll open a brewery instead and serve premium beers
like Parnell Porter, Parnell Pilsner and Parnell Pale Ale.

A key part of the evening was to recognise the four individuals,
not for their sporting accomplishment, but for their work in
helping children. In the spring of 2005 Canadian golf icon Mike
Weir launched Mike Weir Estate Winery to showcase the world class
wines being made in Ontario's Niagara Peninsula and to support the
Mike Weir Foundation. The Mike Weir Foundation was formed in 2004
by Mike and Bricia Weir to assist children in physical, emotional
and financial need and since the wineries inception; proceeds from
the sale of Weir Wines have gone to the Mike Weir Foundation.

In 2008 Ernie Els started to display an "Autism Speaks" logo on
his golf bag after it was announced that their five year old son,
Ben, was autistic. In 2009, Els launched an annual charity golf
event, the Els for Autism Pro-Am, The first event, which featured
many PGA Tour and Champion Tour golfers, raised $725,000 for The
Renaissance Learning Center, a nonprofit Charter School in the
area, for autistic children. Ernie and his wife Liezl have also
established the Els Center of Excellence, which began as a drive to
build a new campus for the aforementioned school but has since
mushroomed into a $30 million plan to combine the school with
a research facility.

Silken and Steve had similar stories and each received the "Red
Ball Award" from Johann Koss, President and CEO of Right To Play
International. I now look at these individuals in a different light
and it makes me think of the Right To Play motto "Look after
yourself, look after one another."

Quote of the Day

"A single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown
to us. To live is to be slowly born."

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Ernie Els received the "Red Ball Award" from
Johann Koss for his work with children with autism.

Martin Parnell's Blog

Follow my weekly blog as I highlight stories and key learnings to having a "Finish the Race Attitude - Set Goals, Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Outstanding Results". If you would like to book me for a keynote or workshop then click on "Contact me" and drop me a line. If you would like to read my books "MARATHON QUEST", "RUNNING TO THE EDGE" and "The Secret Marathon" then go to "Books" and order them from Amazon.